Lakers' LeBron James: I Could Play Another 5-7 Years at a High Level If I Wanted

LeBron James turned 40 on Monday, though the Los Angeles Lakers' star is pretty confident he'll be able to compete at a high level for many years to come.

"It won't be because I can't play this game at a high level," he told reporters while answering a question about what might lead to his eventual retirement. "To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for another five to seven years. If I wanted to, but I'm not gonna do that."

James noted his plan is to retire with the Lakers:

He has credited his longevity—and ability to endure the physical and mental grind—on a "commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game."

"I don't take much time off in the offseason," James added. "A little bit more time now. I didn't take much time in the offseason, no matter if I was making the 10 [NBA] Finals appearances back-to-back and just always trying to keep my body in tip-top shape. And I've been able to, like I said, play a lot of minutes and for the most part of my career be injury-free and be available. I don't want to say injury-free. We all have our injuries in this league and in this sport. But to be available for the majority to my teammates, to the franchises, the three franchises I play for, is something I took very seriously."

The result has been a career that includes four championships, four MVP awards, 20 All-Star Game appearances, a Rookie of the Year award, a scoring title and countless records, including the most points scored and games played in NBA history.

Whether James is the GOAT is a matter of personal and perhaps generational preference, but there's no doubt that he's firmly in that conversation. Very few players in NBA history, at the very least, have been this good for this long.

And James doesn't expect to slow down anytime soon.